Gus Clemens on Wine explores and explains the world of wine in simple, humorous, fun posts

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Summmer-time, and sippin’ rosé is easy… fish are jumpin’… and the cotton is high.

OK, bastardizing George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess intro may be a déclassé way to introduce a high summer homage to the pink-blush stepchild of both red and white wine. Times change. “One of these mornings you’re going to rise up singing, then you’ll spread your wings and you’ll take to the sky.” And so it has been with rosé.

In the past decade-plus rosé has risen from wine sipped by m’lady on her fainting couch or slurped by repressed soccer moms in surreptitious soirées, with ice cubes bobbing in their fully filled ice tea glasses (yes, I am looking at you, closet white zinfandel drinkers). You did what you had to do.

This is the middle of the third decade of the 21st century. Today, rosé is recognized as a real wine category that can unabashedly be enjoyed by manly men and girlie girls and all the silly permutations in between. Cash register receipts affirm it.

While wines in general have treaded sales waters in recent years, rosé wines have been on a consistent rise. US rosé sales increased in volume 1,433% from 2010 to 2020, and has only barely slowed in the recent years of the current wine sales retreat.

To the ecstatic delight of makers, most of the rise is attributable to to Gen Z and Millennials, the very consumers that desperate, salivating wine promoters pursue. Rosé is Cinderella. Once shunned by burly, brusque red wine brothers and haughty, condescending white wine sisters, rosé bided its time until the vicissitudes of fashion inevitably caused trendsetters to frantically scour for the “next big thing.” And there was rosé—the blessed bridge between red and white—and the answer to a winemaker’s prayer.

Like white wine, rosé is a fast turnaround product. One, two years, sold. Reds are so much more lumbering, taking years—ye, gods, sometimes almost a decade—before they reach their sellable state. Gimlet-eyed bankers avariciously grasping winery loan notes are not noted for patience or understanding.

The rosé rise particularly is attributable to a shift away from the treacly sweet by-product of red wine production in the past. Such plonk was never mainstream, but it was effervescently successful when American wine drinkers were toddling neophytes just beginning their journey into the universe of the serious, dry wine most common today. Dry rosé is real, serious wine. It is the most common rosé wine you can purchase. Dry rosés are delectably versatile wines that can work just as well as an aperitif for giddy ingenues as for pompous panjandrums of pairing facing an eclectic cornucopia of food courses.

Rosé’s time has come. If alive today, Porgy and Bess would be sipping it on their veranda while celebrating the recent rise in their 401K portfolio. The fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.

Tasting notes

• H&B Provence Rosé 2023: Delicate delight, very nice Provence rosé managed in a somewhat testing year. Fruit-forward, fresh, subtle herb and minerality. It received praise as being a quality wine that achieved better than its vintage peers. Excellent if not exceptional. But excellent in a Provence rosé is no faint praise. $20 https://www.gusclemensonwine.com/hb-provence-rose-2023/#more-20437

• Domaine St. Laurent Rosé de Pinot Noir Block One Rouge Valley, Oregon 2023: Delicate, elegant, showcases light red fruits. Versatile, easily can be enjoyed on its own or paired with lighter fare. Tad more substantial than typical Provence efforts, but reflects that tradition. $25 https://www.gusclemensonwine.com/domaine-st-laurent-rose-de-pinot-noir-block-one-rouge-valley-oregon-2023/#more-20675

• Luc Belaire Rare Rosé Sparkling NV, France: A top-selling sparkling rosé in the U.S. Faint sweetness, restrained acidity, and delicious strawberry flavor make it a crowd pleaser. $30 https://www.gusclemensonwine.com/luc-belaire-rare-rose-sparkling-nv-france/#more-20672

• Dutcher Crossing Grace Reserve Russian River Valley Brut Rosé NV: Very brisk with significant acidity backbone supporting fresh raspberry, strawberry, and cranberry fruit notes. Depth and complexity from 20 months bottle aging on the lees. Sophisticated effort with power and attitude. No wimp pink sparkling this. $59 https://www.gusclemensonwine.com/dutcher-crossing-grace-reserve-russian-river-valley-brut-rose-nv/#more-20502

Last round

Two young boys are at their first wedding. One turns to the other and asks: “So, how many wives can a man have?”

Second boy: “Apparently it is 16. Four better. Four worse. Four richer. Four poorer. And you gotta put up with them in sickness and in health until you die. Jeez!”

Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you reading.

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It is high summer in the Northern Hemisphere. What wine fits into the zeitgeist of pools splashing with bikini-clad frolickers slathered in sun screens, outdoor cooking, indoor binge watching movies on a wide screen while the AC heroically soldiers on?

A surprising star shines bright: sparkling wine.

First, sparkling is the wine best served around 40 degrees, lighter versions as low as 37. That is the coldest temperature recommended for wine. If you like a cold one on a hot day, sparkling is the answer.

Second, sparkling is the most versatile food wine. Examples:

• Hot dogs. If you want a drink for your dogs, look no further than well-chilled sparkling. The high acidity of sparklers is a perfect palate cleanser for the fatty richness of a hot dog. The bubbles also provide a scrubbing mechanism, re-setting your palate for your next dog bite. Champagne, Spanish cava, New World sparklings, Italian prosecco—they all have a dog in the hunt for pairing with your wiener wonder.

Jefferson

• Watermelon. Sparkling not only is secularly popular, there are solid scientific reasons it works. Watermelon and sparklings have complementary flavors. Watermelons deliver honey-like sweetness, bright fruit, citrus undertones. These are the same descriptors often found in sparkling reviews, especially sparkling rosés. Sparkling’s high acidity is counterpoint to watermelon’s natural sweetness, enhancing the fresh, crisp qualities found in both. Sparkling’s bubbles amplify the cooling sensation of the fruit, especially efficacious in high summer. Prosecco particularly shines here.

• Buttery popcorn. You have had your saturation of pool floating and UV attacks on your epidermis and have retreated to the cool embrace of your air conditioned room with the wide screen to watch the latest, mindless summer movie. Sparkling wine definitely can help here. Buttery chardonnay is the apex pairing with buttery popcorn, but sparkling is a photo-finish second. Sparkling’s effervescence and crisp acidity are a felicitous contrast to buttery popcorn’s buttery richness. Prosecco and Spanish cava will provide wallet-friendly alternatives to Champagne or other pricier picks.

In all cases, colder the better. You can serve sparkling right out of your refrigerator. If you need a quick chill, put the bottle in a bucket with half ice and half water, plus some salt for the fastest chill—this method is much more efficient than putting bottles in the freezer.

Enjoy the joys of high summer. The attraction of life is change. Soon enough you will miss the pool water being so warm, the days being so long and hot, and the friends and family gathered around the outdoor grill listening to the doggies sizzle. It is high summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the depth of winter in the Southern. Enjoy the moment.

Tasting notes

• Gruet Brut Rosé NV: Delicious, accessible, correct pinot noir brute sparkling made with 100% pinot noir. Red fruits on the nose and palate are framed by excellent acidity, a lengthy column of tiny bubbles, and invigorating mouthfeel. $17 Link to my review

• VARA Winery VARAxLG Brut Blanc de Blancs American Sparkling Wine NV: Superb sparkling wine made in Albuquerque, NM in collaboration with Laurent Gruet of Gruet Wine fame. Further proof American sparkling made in New Mexico is an incredible value and easily matches sparklings made elsewhere. $40 Link to my review

Last round

Why did the lions move at the end of summer?

Because the pride goeth before the fall.

Wine time.

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As someone who loves writing and wine, it was a quick and easy call 17 years ago when the local newspaper publisher asked me to write about wine in his publication.

It has been a happy 17 years with too many joys to mention. But there are downsides. Tasting a lot of wine is part of the job, and that can become tedious. That is especially true of boring, cookie-cutter wines.

Often identified as “supermarket wines” or “mass production wines.” Meiomi and Mark West are among the best known—they sell hundreds of thousand bottles a year (Meiomi, one milllion)—but there are many others. They are not terrible wines with obvious flaws. Usually there are no flaws, but wines designed to have no flaws in mass production also means they have no soul. They are boring. Taste enough of them and you are besieged by a depressing ennui.

Maksym Kozlenko

Such wines will be fruit-forward approaching jammy. There likely is some residual sugar to flirt with sweetness. They will be around 14.5% ABV. Reds likely will be blends, but cabernet sauvignon or pinot noir will be 75% of the blend, just qualifying them to be labeled by the varietal name.

If they don’t go for a varietal naming, they will be labeled with a focus-group refined name concocted by their marketing department with special attention on an eye-catching label. When wines taste much the same, the key to success is what the bottle looks like standing upright on a crowded supermarket shelf.

For the same money, you can experience distinctive wines that reflect the place and time they were made and offer individualistic takes on what constitutes wine. Their production numbers will be far less. They can come from anywhere, but South America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay) and the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal) particularly abound in such values. I don’t want to slight the Languedoc of France, various part of Italy (especially Sicily), and others—including smaller operations in California, Oregon, and Washington State—the list could go on. You get the idea.

My wine reviews gravitate to such wines, while affordability and availability (internet wine sales really help here) remain important considerations.

As long-time readers know, I consider myself a writer who happens to write about wine rather than a wine cognoscente attempting to be a writer. Also, a curator rather than a critic. If I publish a wine review, I do so because I think readers may find in it something to enjoy. I chose to spend our limited time together presenting a wine worth trying rather than warning you about a wine to avoid.

If you enjoy them, there is no reason to avoid supermarket, mass production wines. They are often serviceable, if rarely exciting. If you dare for something beyond bland, I offer you my tasting notes.

Tasting notes

• Domaine Bousquet Gaia Cabernet Franc, Gualtallary Vineyards, Mendoza, Argentina 2018: Rich, tasty, balanced cab franc from one the world’s leading producers of organically-farmed wine. Tasting this at seven years old mellowed the wine, it also proved its ageability for an affordable wine. $15-18 Link to my review

• Bodegas Virgen del Galir Pagos del Galir A Malosa Godello, Valdeorras DO, Spain 2020: Premium white wine made with godello, Spain’s come-back grape. Excellent taste and body. Elegant, subtle, wonderfully reflects rugged terroir of the Valdeorras DO, especially its minerality. $15-21 Link to my review

• Dr. Konstantin Frank Dry Riesling Finger Lakes 2023: Another example of Dr. Konstantin Frank’s masterful skill with riesling in the Finger Lakes region of northwestern New York State. Keuka Lake provides superb conditions for cold-climate riesling grapes, as does the region’s soil composition. The Keuka Lake plots provide the bulk of the grapes and their shallow, shale-based soils deliver minerality, acidity, and structure. $20 Link to my review

Last round

If at first you don’t succeed, then skydiving probably is not for you. Wine time.

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As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

This is the weekly column

People ask what was the most expensive wine I ever received for review. I think their question reflects curiosity about what wine I get to review and how does expensive wine taste.

From the beginning, my work was directed at wine that people could purchase in a local store, or at least online. So reviewing 30-year-old wines costing four figures was out of the question, even if I obtained such wine through some vinological miracle.

The CliffsNotes answer to “what’s the most expensive” question is around $250. Such offerings are not common, but not rare. Some come with strings attached—in exchange for receiving the wine, they ask me to interview the winemaker—or chef de cave, the cellar master in charge of making Champagne. My answer: “Sure, Brer Fox don’t throw me into that briar patch.” The marketeer sending the wine also knows if I spend the effors to interview the winemaker, there is excellent chance there will be a review. And a very good chance the wine will be worthy of a review.

The expensive wines generally are Champagnes and Napa cabernet sauvignons. In most cases, these are legitimately priced offerings. Some, however, are nice enough wines with a flashy price slapped on to create the illusion of superior quality. Buyer beware. Over-inflated prices can be found on some subscription wine club offerings—it gives the illusion of a bargain. I seldom receive or review such wines. High prices can suggest high quality, but does not guarantee it.

The next level down of ultra premium wines fall into the “around $100” range. These are much more commonly offered for me to review. They often are excellent wines, as I strive to convey in my reviews. But, are they really worth the premium price? There rests a classic dilemma.

Do you buy a $105 bottle of unarguably very good wine, or do you buy four bottles of almost as good—or as good—wine. Or five or six bottles of pretty good wine? If you are a casual drinker or really can’t tell the difference, the more affordable is the obvious answer.

Today, almost any wine you buy for $15 or more is a good wine. Buy it, drink it that evening, don’t sweat the credit card bill or the negative blather of some condescending critic. If you get deeper into wine, the higher shelf offerings will be there waiting for you. Or you can happily stick with old friends. The wine you enjoy is the right wine for you.

Last round

Why are married women often heavier than single women?

Because single women come home, see what is in the fridge, then go to bed.

Married women come home, see what is in the bed, then go to the fridge.

Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you reading.

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Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

This is the weekly column

Vintage and location are keys to understanding wine in Texas, which now produces the fifth most wine in the United States.

Texas wine growers must contend with unpredictable and extreme weather events, making each Texas vintage an adventure. Therein lies both the magic and the challenge, because weather and weather events dramatically impact each year’s Texas wine and what grapes are grown.

When late frosts or hail thin the grape crop, the crop tends to more more concentrated—often making for better wine. Heat stress can reduce sugar accumulation, which is why Texas grape growers turned to varieties that do well in the heat. Drought can stress vines and reduce yield, but Texas grape growing regions long ago adopted farming methods and irrigation technology to deal with it. Add to that vast amounts of wine-vine-friendly land and the wealth to invest in the wine lifestyle, and you have the formula for Texas success. A surprise to those whose opinion of Texas is based on inaccurate stereotypes.

More than 80% of Texas grapes are grown on the Texas High Plains, the vast flatlands of the southern portion of the Texas Panhandle, known in historic times as the Llano Estacado. The Texas High Plains AVA encompasses some 8,000,000 acres (12,500 square miles, larger than nine states) with Lubbock as the largest urban center.

The High Plains are called the “high plains” for a reason. The great, very flat plateau has elevations from 3,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level. That puts it in the same league as high elevation vineyards in Argentina and Chile.

Long a region of cattle raising and cotton, peanuts, squash, and melon farming, the High Plains also are a place of unpredictable weather. Late spring frosts, hailstorms, torrential rains, drought, and sudden freezes are all part of the deal. Such variability means vintages can vary markedly from year to year. That’s not a bug in Texas wine, it is a feature.

The High Plains AVA provides many winegrowing advantages. The high elevations mean hotter temperatures and more UV during the day. That encourages quicker fruit ripening—some Texas harvests begin as early as late July—and thicker skins. The elevation also means cooler nights, the coveted “diurnal shift” that preserves acidity. Early harvests give Texas wines their distinctive minerality. Thicker skins make for darker, more intense red wines.

High Plains soil usually is red sandy loam or sandy clay loam. The phylloxera louse hates sandy. The winds are reliably strong, hot, and dry. Mildew and fungus hate windy, dry heat. The soils have excellent drainage characteristics. Wine vines love good drainage.

All well and good, but Texans had to figure out what grape varieties are best suited for this inviting wine vine environment. It was pretty clear from the beginning cool-climate varieties like chardonnay, riesling, and cabernet franc would only work in very limited Texas places. But tempranillo, mourvèdre, blanc du boise, chenin blanc, and viognier proved to do well.

Texas is a very big place with winegrowing spread across its vastness, so broad generalizations are inherently flawed. The Texas Hill Country AVA, for instance, is somewhat different than the High Plains AVA. While the Hill Country grows many of the same grapes that work on the High Plains, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, gewürztraminer, albariño, and roussane are a larger part of the mix in the state’s second-most important winegrowing region. The Texas Hill Country is the state’s largest AVA at 9,000 acres, more than 14,000 square miles. It is the third-largest AVA in the United States and contains two sub-AVAs.

Fredericksburg, Texas (Larry D. Moore photo)

The Hill Country AVA demonstrates the diversity of the Texas wine industry. While most Texas wine grapes are grown in the High Plains AVA, the Hill Country AVA is the Texas wine showcase. Centered around Fredericksburg, a charming Texas-German town located between San Antonio and Austin, the Hill Country AVA is the second-most visited AVA in the United States, second only to Napa.

In addition to the big two there are six other Texas AVAs:

• Fredericksburg is a sub-appellation in the Hill Country AVA. It surrounds the town of Fredericksburg.

• Bell Mountain also is a part of the Hill Country AVA; it also is near Fredericksburg.

• Escondido Valley is located in Pecos County in the Big Bend area of western Texas. “Escondido” is Spanish for “hidden.”

• Mesilla Valley primarily is located in New Mexico, with a small portion in Texas along the Rio Grande around El Paso. “Mesilla” is Spanish for “high plateau.”

• Texas Davis Mountains is located in the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas surrounding Fort Davis; it is particularly a high altitude AVA with elevations of 4,500-8,300 feet above sea level.

• Texoma is located on the Texas-Oklahoma border north of Dallas. It is the newest Texas AVA.

All these factors—variable weather challenges, vast and variable land conducive to grapegrowing, discovery of grape varieties that thrive in Texas conditions, the economic power of the second-most populated state and the state with the nation’s second-highest GDP—make Texas an exciting frontier in the wine world. Watch this space.

Tasting notes

• William Chris Vineyards Purtell Vineyard Grenache, Texas High Plains 2020 is smooth, easy drinker from a top Texas winemaker and leading Texas wine grape grower. Delivers the svelte sophistication of grenache. Very approachable. Clean, fruit-forward. $21-25 Link to my review

• Becker Vineyards Prairie Cuvee, Texas High Plains 2019 is light, refreshing, full fruity flavor. This is classic Rhône blend well executed using Texas-grown grapes by a substantial player in the state’s ascendency in the wine world. $25 Link to my review

• Wedding Oak Winery Sweetheart Rosé, Texas 2021 is rosé delight with delicious fruit. Elegant and substantial. Complexity from a well-coordinated mélange of Texas red grapes that deliver fruitiness and intriguing florals. Well made Texas wine. $29 Link to my review

• Wedding Oak Winery Chenin Blanc, Texas High Plains, Phillips Vineyard 2023 delivers vivid citrus, tree fruits in clean, precise manner. No interference from oak, nice depth and complexity. $30 Link to my review

• William Chris Vineyards Mourvèdre Reserve, Texas High Plains 2018 is a solid, silky presentation of mourvèdre, a grape that has found a home in Texas. Good balance of fruit, acidity, and reserved, elegant tannins. Tasty, well behaved, worthy Texas tipple. $35-38 Link to my review

• Flat Creek Estate Buttero Red Wine Blend 2018 is fruit-forward expression of classic Italian grapes—sangiovese, primitivo, montepulciano—from a quality Texas winery that specializes in Italian grapes. $35 Link to my review

Last round

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. He said his summer was pretty good, too. Wine time.

Last round bonus humor

• If you fret your microwave has been collecting data and your TV set has been spying on you, just remember your vacuum has been gathering dirt on you for years. Wine time.

• This week has been tough—constant rane, hale, gails, drissle, thundre, litnin, hy tydes, tawnaydoes, and rizzing colde. It was a really bad spell of wether. Wine time.

• Why are married women often heavier than single women?

Because single women come home, see what is in the fridge, then go to bed.

Married women come home, see what is in the bed, then go to the fridge. Wine time.

• Man asks this wife: “What would you do if I won the lottery/“

Wife: “I would take my half and leave you.”

Man: “Great. I won $12 today. Here’s your $6. Stay in touch.” Wine time.

Gus Clemens on Wine is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a paid subscriber. No matter how you subscribe, I appreciate you reading.

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Links worth exploring

Diary of a Serial Hostess Ins and outs of entertaining; witty anecdotes of life in the stylish lane.

As We Eat Multi-platform storytelling explores how food connects, defines, inspires.

Dave McIntyre’s WineLine Longtime Washington Post wine columnist now on Substack. Entertaining, informative.

This is the weekly column

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. In June of 2025, such a time has come for my wine writing adventure.

In the summer of 2008, the editor of my local newspaper, the San Angelo Standard-Times, challenged me to write a wine column that would entertain and inform the average wine buyer. The “buyer” part was important because the weekly column would be an anchor on the Wednesday food section of the newspaper and advertisers wanted information about wines customers could buy in local stores.

And so a wonderful adventure began. By September I had written enough test drafts to find a voice, approach, and word length to prove to myself I could pull this off. Imperatives included a word length to fit into the news hole on the front of the food section, a commitment to file well in advance since the section often was one of the first to be processed in the newsroom, never to miss a deadline, never to lazily submit a previous column even if my well of ideas was dry. I take pride in hitting every single one of those marks the past 17 years.

It was pleasing when sister papers of the Standard-Times—in Corpus Christi and Abilene—picked up the column. Then the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, which was not part of the company at that time. Then came newspaper sales and consolidations and, soon, I was providing columns for the new mothership, Gannett-USA Today. Now the column appeared all over the United States, from Florida to California. Those were heady times for a wine writer in San Angelo, Texas.

That was the case for more than a decade. I was a nationally syndicated wine columnist and expanding into non-Gannett-USA Today newspapers since I own the rights to my work and only sold papers the rights to use my work in print and online. The money was nice, the audience was more important.

At the same time, I was online almost from the beginning. I owned an advertising agency that made websites, so from the first months my columns and wine reviews were available in a searchable, free website— Link —and on Facebook. Then Twitter (X). Eventually Bluesky and LinkedIn.

Wide exposure brought delightful benefits. Winemakers around the world sent me samples to taste and write about. I got to interview and be interviewed by notables in the wine world. When I visited wineries, I got special treatment. I told many folks, this was one of the best writing gigs in my more than 50 years as a professional writer. And I could toast my good fortune with a high-quality bottle of wine the maker had begged me to receive for free.

Much of this delicious adventure continues, but in 2025 one chapter closes. Local daily newspapers throughout the United States have entered hospice protocols. Gannett is doing its best to remain viable, but clearly denouement looms. At first, because of shrinking space, my wine column stopped running weekly and became episodic, especially in the non-Texas newspapers. Then in the Texas newspapers. Invoices went unpaid. When I queried editors about the situation, silence.

In correspondence with Dave McIntyre, who ended his weekly wine column in The Washington Post this January after 16 years, I realized we faced similar pressures in a changing newspaper environment. “Despite our efforts to spread the appeal of wine, a wine column is aimed at a niche audience,” he wrote, “while newspapers increasingly grade the success of an individual article on the number of readers who click on it.”

This is not a valedictory column. I enjoy writing about wine and reviewing wine and do not intend to stop. I just face the reality that newspapers no longer are one of the vehicles to reach readers.

In some ways, I celebrate new freedom. I no longer am subject to the tyranny of a 450-word count. I no longer am confined to a once-a-week schedule. That likely does not mean fewer columns/posts, likely more, but not always on Wednesday.

To the newspapers that carried my column for most of the past 17 years, thank you. It has been a joy of my life. To all my readers/followers, this is not goodbye. See you on the internet.

Links to where to continue to find Gus Clemens on Wine are below.

Last round

Ancient Egyptian architect: “Do you know how to build a pyramid?”

Ancient Egyptian builder: “Well, yeah, up to a point.”

Wine time.

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This is the weekly column

We know wine is magnificent paired with food, enhancing qualities of both. Wine and food also can be a welcomed pairing when dealing with the vicissitudes or triumphs of life. Examples:

• Emotionally wrought day with friends or family. Pair movie theatre popcorn and a bottle of buttery chardonnay and a stupid comedy movie.

• Signal success at work or in your family life after overcoming obstacles. Pair a bottle of expensive Champagne, a tin of caviar, or—if you are not into salty fish eggs—white chocolate truffles and the movie The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

• Mind-numbing day dealing with mundane, pedestrian issues. Pair a bottle of quality pinot noir from the Willamette Valley, camembert or gruyère cheese, and an intellectually challenging documentary from the BBC.

• A foolish argument with your loved one, followed by an embarrassing resolution. Pair a bottle of premier merlot, gourmet burgers, salty french fries, and the movie Sideways.

• A gritty, muscle-aching day of physical labor you want to forget, even though there is some pride you survived. Pair a high-alcohol California zinfandel from Lodi and the movie Rocky.

• A difficult day writing programming or fathoming spread sheets fellow workers could not comprehend or sorting out gibberish in a note from your boss or a client. Open a bottle of dry gewürztraminer or pouilly fuisse because you like the white wine and you know how to correctly pronounce the name, pair with honey-glazed, smoked salmon and the movie A Beautiful Mind.

• An outdoor meal with a swaggering braggadocio who will tell you repeatedly how much the Kobe beef he is grilling cost and how lucky you are to have been invited to share a slice. Pair with the movie The Wolf of Wall Street and a quality Portuguese red costing less than $20—many exist—but do not mention the cost until he praises the pairing.

• A lovely warm day with gentle winds, beautiful clouds, the faint smell of rain, all shared with a loved one. Pair light fare, a spring salad with fruit slices, a circle of brie, a dry Provence rose, and whatever sappy movie she wants to watch on The Hallmark Channel. See what happens. Trust me on this.

Tasting notes

• Markham Vineyards Merlot Little Cannon Vineyard, Napa Valley 2021: plush, elegant merlot from exceptional Oak Knoll vintage. Vivid aromatics, soft tannins and acidity check all the boxes for marvelous. $67 Link to my review

• Champagne Ayala A/18 Le Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut 2018: sleek, superb, pure chardonnay, vintage-dated effort, something of a rarity in Champagne. Excellent fruit. $85-130 Link to my review

Last round

Autocorrect is my wurst enema. Wine time.

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As May flowers fade, the more stern months of summer saunter into our lives and our wine drinking regimen.

Time to lay down big, bold reds and celebrate the buys of summer. Rosés. Lighter whites. Lighter reds, maybe chilled, maybe even with an ice cube floating in the glass. Wine punches like sangria come into play, so refreshing on a warm picnic, backyard soiree day.

Stokesiren photo

This also can be the time for wines in a can. Perfect for sipping in a boat or by a pool where glass is déclassé or on a picnic or hike where you don’t want weight to slow your gait. After sailing or rowing or motoring or splashing or trekking to a scenic rendezvous, sipping on a light, refreshing Bacchus elixir can become part of a long-relished memory.

This also is a time for wines typically not considered for summer. Sherry, for instance. In Spain—where true sherry is made—there is a long-standing tradition of summer sherry. Consider sherry with ice, a splash of citrusy soda, and a fresh mint leaf. In the lower Adulucía, they mix sherry with well-chilled carbonated water and a mint leaf. Use the lighter sherry styles—fino and manzanilla.

Red wines can be served very well chilled or on ice to beat the heat. Gamay and pinot noir, light red wines, are the most appropriate candidates. Pour inexpensive stuff. Use a large ice cube—like you would do with bourbon. Alternatively, chill the wine in your refrigerator (usually 35º F).

Easy peasy warm weather wines (all served well chilled): rosés, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, un-oaked chardonnay, albariño, vinho verde, assyrtiko, dry riesling, gewürtztraminer, verdejo, vermentino, grüner veltliner.

The best summer wines combine brisk, refreshing acidity with regional flavors. But it must be acknowledged we are privileged to live in an era when summer heat can be relegated to a passing nuisance. If you must, crank down the AC, dig in to your fatty beefsteak and massive Napa cab. As long as you are discreet, no one will shame your for it.

Tasting notes

• Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Aveta Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2023: Distictive interpretation of sauv blanc from famous, quality maker in a stellar vintage in Napa. $30-38 Link to my review

• Three Sticks Casteñada Rosé, Sonoma 2023: Polished, demure, elegant; fresh, fruity; polite tannins, refreshing acidity, and complexity justify its premium rosé status. It is the highest priced rosé made in Sonoma. $45-55 Link to my review

Last round

I am through with Amazon. I ordered grain for my chickens. Then, after I got it, they sent me an email asking for my feedback. Wine time.

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Cava is Spanish sparkling wine made using the traditional method developed in Champagne, right?

Not so simple. In 1872, Spain’s first méthode champenoise sparkling wine was made in the Penedès region of Catalonia, the steadfastly independent northeastern area of Spain with Barcelona as its capitol.

France insists traditional method sparkling wine can only be called Champagne if it is made in Champagne. So Spaniards came up with “Cava” and establishing the Cava Denominación de Origen (DO). Although not a strict cava requirement, the Spanish grapes xarel-lo, madabeo, and parellada were the predominant grapes, in the same way chardonnay, pinot noir, and pinot meunier are primary grapes in Champagne.

Keith Williamson photo

Cava holds a middle-niche in the sparkling world. French Champagne is the aristocratic pour, almost always costing $50 or a lot more. Italian prosecco is everyman’s sparkling, made using a tank method that keeps prices in the $9-18 range. Cava hits the price point between, $15-35.

Spain had a winning hand. Makers could argue they matched Champagne quality at half the price, while being more sophisticated than prosecco. Spanish makers made impressive manufacturing modernizations that reduced labor costs without sacrificing quality. Production soared to 250 million bottles, led by mega-producers Freixenet and Codorníu.

So far, so good, except cava production spread throughout Spain. While the Penedès region remained the heart and soul of cava, starting in the 1990s the cava brand stopped identifying Penedès sparkling and became a generic term for Spanish sparkling. Cava stood for a Spanish production method rather than a specific terroir.

The Penedès region struck back. In 2012, makers established a distinctive wine category—Classic Penedès—to celebrate and proudly identify the Catalan winemaking identity. Classic Penedès requires wines to be organic and estate-bottled. Each bottle must be vintage-dated, include the disgorgement date. They must age for at least 15 months. Oh, and it has to be produced in Catalonia’s Penedès region.

In 2017, the requirements were formalized with the creation of the Corpinnat collective. The name etymologically means “born in the heart of Penedès.” A Corpinnat spokesperson explains: “We’re spreading the message that our place makes the wine, not just the method. Corpinnat emphasizes location over production technique.”

Fastidious care of the land is part of the deal. In 2025, Penedès will become the world’s first wine region to become 100% organic.

Spanish cava is a delicious value. But if you want the highest quality—a quality that rivals Champagne at much less the price—look for wines with Corpinnat on the label.

Last round

How much do rainbows weigh? Not much. They’re actually pretty light. Wine time.

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The wine industry faces the first headwinds it has faced in half a century. Inevitably things get snippy in the previously collegial competition among makers.

When the rising wine tide raised all boats, generosity and altruism were easy. Comity expected. Neighbor-helping-neighbor commonplace. Now sales are in decline. Competition thins the herd. Makers search for an edge, sharp elbows replace pats on the back.

Texas is an example. From the state’s humble wine beginning in the 1970s until the 21st century, Texas was the gangly youngster learning how to walk. Its wineries had modest production. Texans bought almost all of it. Texas was a beer and whiskey and Tex Mex and fat, juicy steaks place. Not really wine-centric country. No need for others to play in that sandbox.

Nothing stays the same. Texas population boomed, overtaking New York as the second-most populated state in the U.S. in 1994. Texas has four of the largest population cities: Houston #4; San Antonio #7, Dallas #9, Austin #11. There is a charming old German Hill Country town easily accessible for all of them—just over an hour from San Antonio and Austin.

Fredericksburg, Texas (Larry D. Moore photo)

Fredericksburg became the center of the Texas wine industry. Texans grew grapes on the High Plains in West Texas, but put their tasting rooms and wineries in and around Fredericksburg. They had a highway—US 290 that mirrors Napa’s SR 29. Today, the Texas Hill Country AVA around Fredericksburg is the second-most visited AVA in the U.S., trailing only Napa. Meanwhile, Texas winemakers hit their stride. The state has a vast wine vine growing region in the west with high altitude (3,000 to 4,000 elevations), significant diurnal shifts, sandy soil that vexes phylloxera aphids, brisk dry winds that thwart powdery mildew, water from the Ogallala Aquifer, and plenty of money to invest in lifestyle businesses.

As a result, Texas now ranks fifth in U.S. wine production. The state is far behind the big four—California, Washington, New York, Oregon—but the state has the wine market’s attention.

In 2024, Halter Ranch, a Paso Robles winery, opened a tasting room in Fredericksburg and planted an organic vineyard nearby. Needless to say, some Texas winemakers who sweated through decades of learning what works in Texas and building a market in Texas while skeptics laughed at their efforts were not ecstatic.

With challenging times comes challenging competition. Texans strived to run with the big dogs. Now they are. Watch this space.

Last round

When you apply insect repellent, do you realize you put on Off and you put Off on? Wine time.

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